Twenty years ago today on January 2, 1999, ZenGenius was born.

We are grateful for the amazing experiences and opportunities we have been given to serve multiple communities using our creative gifts and talents in visual merchandising, special events and creative direction.

We are often humbled when we reflect upon the accomplishments, mountains and molehills, miracles and memories that we've experienced during this exciting creative journey. This milestone would not be possible without the passion, support, ingenious skills and hard work of our team over the years. Whether you call them Zens, Gurus, or Geniuses, we're incredibly thankful to each and every one of them. To our clients and partners, we thank you for your trust, your partnership and the many opportunities to collaborate, making a difference through visual merchandising.

We are most grateful for the love and support of our families who have encouraged us to dream big and helped us achieve our many goals throughout the years.

With persistence and perseverance you can accomplish anything.

— Mama Baer

We’ve been so fortunate to travel the world sharing our talents and making lifelong friendships along the way. Being able to serve the amazing retail and events communities has truly been a dream come true.

Today, ZenGenius is an International company supported by an amazing team of talented, passionate and hard working individuals that make a difference every single day.

On behalf of our incredible team, we want to simply say…

thank you. GRAZIE. MERCI. DANKE. TAK.

Sincerely,

Joe Baer & Paul CookZenGenius, Inc.

Insight on the Evolution of the ZenGenius Brand

Our first logo created by Columbus artist Douglas Fordyce, 1999

Where does the name ZenGenius come from?

Our name is inspired by several things. First and foremost is the word ingenious which is one of the best qualities for any Visual Merchandiser, Event Planner, Artist or Creative. Being able to look at something different or find a solution to the problem is key to our work. The “Zen” influence in our name is inspired by a philosophy that everything has a right place at the right time for the right reason. This is our job and our gift is helping to ensure that every detail is thought of and in place whether you are creating the best store experience ever or hosting a memorable event. In order to create those details and memorable moments sometimes you have to “zen out” in the process. It’s about the entire creative journey.

Tell us about the CURRENT ZenGenius logo.

We were inspired by the keys on an antique National cash register. Our name is unusual so we wanted to create a symbol that people would recognize quickly and we liked the idea of a 27th letter in the english alphabet, a letter to represent creativity, a combination of the Z and the G. Okay, if we’re being REALLY honest, we were also inspired by that symbol Prince changed his name to in 1993.